Mind mapping applications in special teaching

Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 (2009) 2274–2279Available online at Ali Gunay Balim.E-mail address ; agunay.balim@.trWorld Conference on Educational Sciences 2009Mind mapping applications in special teaching methods courses for science teacher candidates and teacher candidates’ opinionsconcerning the applicationsErtug Evrekli a , Ali Gunay Balim a* , Didem ønel aaFaculty of Buca Education, Dokuz Eylul University, 35150-Izmir, TurkeyReceived October 10, 2008; revised December 11, 2008; accepted January 02, 2009AbstractIn this research, the examples of mind maps, prepared by science teacher candidates, about the different subject of Science and Technology are given. In addition, six open-ended questions about the using of mind mapping in constructive science and technology education were asked to science teacher candidates (n=25, male=9; female=16) and then, the data gained from this research was analyzed. In the result, according to science teacher candidates, mind mapping can be used in constructive science and technology effectively and help students in different stages; however, some science topics is not suitable for using mind mapping.© 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reservedKeywords: Constructivism; mind mapping and science teacher candidates;1. I n troductio nIn the constructivist approach, individual sets connections between their background and new information to construct the knowledge in their mind so that learning takes place. Therefore, it is important to elicit students’ pre-knowledge, and if there are, to detect their misconceptions or insufficient comprehension. Two dimensioned visual techniques and tools are being used to elicit students’ pre-knowledge and the new information they learn during the learning process. One of the visual techniques that are used with the stated objectives is mind mapping. According to Zhao (2003), teachers can understand if students understood the subject and if they could construct an appropriate structure for the new information by examining their mind maps. In addition, the mind map helps students assimilate new information, to think and to develop their conceptual schema. So, it is considered that mind maps could be used in constructivist science lessons. To Mento, Martinelli and Jones (1999), mind mapping is a technique which enhances creativity and promotes individuals’ learning. They assure individuals to recall knowledge and to show the relations between different thoughts and concepts (Buzan ve Buzan, 1995; Buzan, 2002; Buzan, 2005). So, mind mapping could provide teacher with a feedback about students’ mental structure and development of their mental structure, could facilitate students’ recalling the knowledge by the assistance of using visual elements and could be used as an activity that makes the students participate the lesson. In recent years, there have been a load of studies aiming to identify the efficiency and limits of mind maps in the literature (Williams, 1999; Brinkmann, 2003; Ling,1877-0428/$–see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.400Ertug Evrekli et al. / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 (2009) 2274–227922752004; Amma, 2005; Treviño, 2005). When the features of mind maps are taken into consideration, it is proposed that using mind maps in the constructivist science and technology education might be efficient. For this reason, in the special teaching methods course implementations science teacher candidates were given samples of activities devoted to using mind maps in the constructivist science and technology education and then the candidates made implementations. Two samples of mind maps which were done in the course are given in figures 1 and 2 in the last page. F urthermore, opinions of the teacher candidates concerning the using mind maps in science education can provide feedback for the investigators about utility and limits of using mind maps. Thus, a need was felt for making a search intended for determining science teacher candidates’ opinions about mind maps. The interrogation sentence of the research was determined as “What are the Opinions of the Science Teacher Candidates about Mind maps and Using Mind maps in the Science Lessons?”.2. Methodology, Research Group and Data Collecting ToolThe research is a kind of descriptive one. 25 Science Teacher Candidates (female 16, male 9) who did the special teaching method course in 2007-2008 education period constitute the research group. The lessons of the special teaching methods were carried out along with the teacher candidates and they were given information about mind mapping. Activities devoted to using mind mapping in the Science and Technology Curriculum basing on the constructivist approach were implemented and teacher candidates prepared samples of activities which include mind mapping. In the research, a questionnaire consisting of six open ended questions was applied. These six questions were intended for identifying opinions of Science teacher candidates relating to mind maps and using mind maps in science teaching. In the process of developing the questionnaire, the main problem which was aimed to explain was determined and then, the open-ended questions were written concerning the problem. 3. FindingsThis part includes the findings of the research and interpretations of the findings. The first open ended question intended for identifying opinions of Science teacher candidates relating to applications of mind maps was: “Do you think that mind maps will be useful in Science and Technology Teaching?” The percent –frequency rates relating to answers given to this open ended question by the teacher candidates are given place in Table 1.Table 1. Opinions of the teacher candidates relating to the first open ended question.Do you think that mind maps will be useful in Science and Technology Teaching? Why?Codes f % Sample Expressio ns f %Assures the information to be permanent/ Facilitatesstudents’ recalling.20 48.8 Assures the relations between the concepts and thoughts to be seen / to be interrelated. 9 21.9Facilitates learning.4 9.8Enhances the interest of the students toward the lesson.2 4.9 Prevents the information from being memorized. 2 4.9 Assures the acquired knowledge and misconceptions to be identified2 4.9 Y e s (n =25), b e c a u s eM i n d m a p s ;Assures mental development of the students/ Assures students to gain time.2 4.8When the mind mapping technique is usedthe student can see the concepts and the relations between concepts visually……Assures to determine to what extend students assimilated the concepts and to reconcile this knowledge with experienceand background knowledge …In my opinion, it is useful to understand the interrelations of the concepts about the subject unit and to keep the concepts inmind longer41 100At the end of the analyses of the first open ended question it was detected that all the teacher candidates stated that mind maps would be useful in Technology and Science Teaching. Besides, teacher candidates stated with % 48.8 frequency that mind maps assure the knowledge to be permanent and facilitate recall it; they stated with the %21.9 frequency that mind maps assure the relations between the concepts and thoughts to be seen and to be interrelated. The other opinions of the teacher candidates are demonstrated in Table 1.2276 Ertug Evrekli et al. / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 (2009) 2274–2279F or the purpose of determining the opinions of teacher candidates concerning mind mapping applications the following open ended question was inquired: “Do you think that mind maps will be useful in Science and Technology Teaching?” The percent –frequency rates relating to answers given to this open ended question by the teacher candidates are given place in Table 2.Table 2. Opinions of the teacher candidates relating to the second open ended question.Do you think that mind maps are appropriate for studying every subject in Science and Technology Teaching? Why? Codes f % Sample Expressio ns f %Yes, I do. 8 32 I am not sure 13 52 No I don’t.416Because every subject includes relations and terms each one canbe studied by using mind maps…Maybe we can not adapt each subject to mind maps…It is not possible for each subject to be explained by shapes…25 100At the end of the analyses of the second open ended question, teacher candidates stated with %32 frequency thatmind maps can be used for each subject in science and technology teaching; with %52 frequency that they are not sue and with %16 frequency they stated that mind maps can not be used with every subject.F or the purpose of determining the opinions of teacher candidates concerning mind mapping applications the following open ended question was inquired: “What can be the effects of using mind maps in Science and Technology teaching on students?” The percent –frequency rates relating to answers given to this open ended question by the teacher candidates are given place in Table 3.Table 3. Opinions of the teacher candidates relating to the third open ended question.What can be the effects of using mind maps in Science and Technology teaching on students? Explain with your reasons. CodesF % Sample Expressio ns f %Creates an environment that students will have fun/Attracts attention/Motivates 11 26.8 Assures permanent learning 7 17.1 Facilitates recalling7 17.1 Helps to understand learn the subject/Assures to set interrelations between concepts.6 14.7 Assures to express the subject with main lines andvisually/Displays how much students learned the concepts 5 12.1 It might bore the students in some circumstances. 3 7.3 U s e o f m i n d m a p s ;Assures to reveal students’ skills/Enhances creativity24.9Assures permanent learning. Because it isconspicuous and facilitates to makeconnections and transitions between concepts. It is important for students to express how much they have learned the concepts... Keeps the students’ attention awake… Makes the lesson more fun. It might bore the students who don’t likedrawing and picturing…41 100 At the end of the analyses of the third open ended question the teacher candidates stated with %26.8 frequency that mind maps would create a learning environment which students will like and which will motivate the students and attract their attention. With %17.1 frequency they stated that it assured a permanent learning, again wit the same %17.1 frequency they stated that it will facilitate recalling. The results of analyses about their other opinions are given place in Table 3.F or the purpose of determining the opinions of teacher candidates concerning mind mapping applications the following open ended question was inquired: “In which stage do you think that it will be true to use mind maps in learning process?” The percent –frequency rates relating to answers given to this open ended question by the teacher candidates are given place in Table 4.Ertug Evrekli et al. / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 (2009) 2274–22792277Table 4. Opinions of the teacher candidates relating to the fourth open ended questionIn which stage do you think that it will be true to use mind maps in learning process? Codes f% Sample Expressionsf%Evaluate 926.6 Elicit 411.8 Elaborate 12.9 Engage 1 2.9 Explore 1 2.9 7E M o d e lExplain 1 2.9 17 50At the end of the subject or the unit720.6 At the beginning of the subject or the unit 720.6 P r o c e s sEvaluation of students38.8In my opinion it must be shown in the first stage… Just before the subject was demonstrated…To me, mind map should be used in the evaluation stage.…This technique can be used by teachers to understand if learning took place in point of evaluating students…It should firstly be used to reveal background knowledge… What does the student know about that subject? And later it should be used in evaluation stage. 17 50At the end of the analyses of the fourth open ended question the teacher candidates stated with %26.6 frequency thatmind maps should be used in evaluation stage which takes place in 7E learning model; with % 20.6 frequency that they should be used at the end of the subject or the unit and again with %20.6 frequency that at the beginning of the subject or unit. The results of analyses about other opinions are given place in Table 4. F or the purpose of determining the opinions of teacher candidates concerning mind mapping applications the following open ended question was inquired: “Do you think that mind maps are appropriate tools for constructivist approach?” The percent –frequency rates relating to answers given to this open ended question by the teacher candidates are given place in Table 5.Table 5. Opinions of the teacher candidates relating to the fifth open ended questionDo you think that mind maps are appropriate tools for constructivist approach? Why / Why not?Codes F % Sample Expressio ns f %Helps to learn the subject better / Assures to interrelate the knowledge 8 29.7 Assures efficient teaching 6 22.2 Helps to determine and repair misconceptions and missing knowledge 5 18.5 Moves creativity forefront 2 7.4Assures knowledge to be permanent 2 7.4Y e s (n =25) b e c a u s e ,Yes, because it is student-centered and depends on creativity…Yes, because at the stage of forming this map, students reflect the knowledge on the map as they have constructed it intheir mind…Absolutely yes, because when the student interrelate the map in their mind, it will be much better for them to assimilate the subject …27 100At the end of the analyses of the fifth open ended question it was determined that all of the teacher candidatesstated that mind maps are appropriate visual tools for constructivist approach. Besides, as the reason of the mind maps being appropriate visual tools for the constructivist approach, they stated with %29.7 frequency that it helped to learn the subjects better and assured to inter-relate knowledge; with %22.2 frequency that it assured students’ active participation, attracted students’ attention and assured an efficient learning. The other opinions of the teacher candidates relating to the question and percent –frequency rates relating to these opinions are displayed in table 5. F or the purpose of determining the opinions of teacher candidates concerning mind mapping applications the following open ended question was inquired: “Would you like to use the mind maps during your teaching practice in the future?” The percent –frequency rates relating to answers given to this open ended question by the teacher candidates are given place in Table 6.2278 Ertug Evrekli et al. / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 (2009) 2274–2279Table 6. Opinions of the teacher candidates relating to the sixth open ended questionWould you like to use the mind maps during your teaching practice in the future? Why / Why not?Codes f % Sample Expressio n s f %To determine students’ knowledge andmisconceptions/ To evaluate7 24.2To make students join the lesson/ to arouse interest 6 20.7 For students to learn easier and more efficiently5 17.2 To set relations between subjects and daily life 3 10.4 For subjects to be recalled/ permanent knowledge 3 10.4 For students to speculate on the subject 2 6.9 Y e s , I w o u l d l i k eb ec a u s e ; (n =23).To improve creativity1 3.4 27 93.2It might make a mess in the classroom 1 3.4 R a r e l y ;(n =2)It should be used with some of the subjects13.4Yes, I would of course, to understand howstudents comprehend and construct the subject. Definitely I would, since it is easier to assure learning with an activity which draws students’ attention…Yes, to make the subject comprehended better…I would like because it is an efficient technique for determining misconceptions of the students and knowledge they have learnt in a wrong way…Yes but not quite often. Using it with appropriate subjects will be more useful.2 6.8According to answers given to the sixth open ended question it was determined that 23 teacher candidates stated that they want to use the mind maps in the future and two of them would like to use them in some contexts. The teacher candidates who declared that they would like to use the maps in the future stated with %24.2 frequency that they would use mind maps to unfold students’ background knowledge, to determine misconceptions and evaluate students; with %20.7 frequency that they would use mind maps to get students to participate the lesson and to draw their attention. As to the teacher candidates who declared that they would sometimes like to use the mind maps, they stated as the reason of their reason that during the stage of forming the maps the class might get into mess and for some subjects these tools might not be appropriate.4. Conclusion, Discussion and RecommendationsIn the analyses carried out at the end of the study; all of the teacher candidates declared that using mind maps inScience and Technology Education will be useful. As the reason of this they stated with % 48.8 frequency that mindmaps assure knowledge to be permanent and facilitated students’ recalling; with % 21.9 frequency that they assure the relations between conceptions and thoughts to be seen and they assure these concept-thoughts to be interrelated. Science teacher candidates stated with %32 frequency that mind maps can be applied to every subject; with % 52 frequency that they are not sure and with frequency of %16 that they can not be applied to every subject. Relating to effects of using mind maps in science and technology teaching upon students, science teacher candidates stated with %26.8 frequency that they would create an environment that the students will enjoy (and similar statements); with % 17.1 frequency that they would assure permanent learning and again with % 17.1 frequency that they would facilitate students’ recalling. Science teacher candidates stated with %26.6 frequency that mind maps should be used in the evaluation stage which take place in 7E model; with % 20.6 frequency that they should be used at the end of the subject or unit and again with % 20.6 frequency that they should be used at the beginning of the subject or unit. All of the science teacher candidates stated that mind maps are appropriate tools for constructivist approach. As a reason of that they stated with %29.7 frequency that they would help students to learn the subject better; with %22 frequency that they would assure students’ active participation, draw their attention and ensure efficient learning. 23 of the science teacher candidates stated that they would like to use mind maps during their teaching practice in the future and as for two of them stated that they would like to use them with some of the units. % 24.2 of the teacher candidates who declared that they would like to use mind maps stated that they would do this to reveal students’ knowledge, to determine their misconceptions and to evaluate. Two of the teacher candidates expressed that they would use the mind maps with some of the units for the reason that the class might get into mess whenErtug Evrekli et al. / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 (2009) 2274–22792279 using them and they are not appropriate for every unit. At the end of the interpretations of teacher candidates’ opinions the following conclusions are adopted.Mind maps can be prepared and used appropriately for some Science and Technology subjects and this can be done by taking students’ peculiarities into consideration.Mind maps can help to determine students’ pre-knowledge and deficiencies or misconceptions in their pre-knowledge. It can facilitate to recall knowledge and conceptions and the interrelations set between them.Mind maps can be effective to create learning environments in which students feel desirous to learn and used in different stages of learning process.AcknowledgementsThis study is supported by TUBITAKReferencesAmma, C. (2005). Effectiveness of Computer based Mind Maps in The Learning of Biology at the Higher Secondary Level. New Delhi: ICDE International Conference (November, 19-23, 2005).Brinkmann, A. (2003). Graphical Knowledge Display-Mind Mapping and Concept Mapping as Efficient Tools in Mathematics Education.Mathematics Education Review. 16. 35-48.Buzan, T. and Buzan, B. (1995). The Mind Map Book. London: BBC Books.Buzan, T. (2002). How to Mind Map. London: Thorsons.Buzan, T. (2005). Mind Map: The Ultimate Thinking Tool. London: ThorsonsLing, C. W. (2004). The Effectiveness of Using Mind Mapping Skills in Enhancing Secondary One and Secondary Four Students’ Writing in a CMI School. The University of Hong Kong: Unpublished Master Thesis.Mento, A. J., Martinelli, P. and Jones, R. M. (1999). Mind Mapping in Executive Education: Applications and Outcomes. Journal of Management Development. 18(4). 390-416.Treviño, C. (2005). Mind Mapping and Outlining: Comparing Two Types of Graphic Organizers for Learning Seventh-Grade Life Science.Texas Tech University: Unpublished PhD Thesis.Williams, M. H. (1999). The Effects of a Brain-Based Learning Strategy, Mind Mapping, On Achievement of Adults in a Training Environment with Consideration to Learning Styles and Brain Hemisphericity. University of North Texas: Unpublished PhD Thesis.Zhao, Y. (2003). The Use of a Constructivist Teaching Model in Environmental Science at Beijing Normal University. The Chine Papers. 2. 78-83.Figure 1. The Mind Map about System in Our Body (Huri Didem) Figure 2. The Mind Map about World and Its Structure (Hilal)。